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Swans

Volume 72: debated on Friday 1 February 1985

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asked the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) if he has any indication of the consequences of a decline in the swan population;(2) when he expects to hear the results of the Nature Conservancy Council's research into swan deaths;(3) what evidence he has of the decline of the swan population in various parts of the United Kingdom;(4) what evidence he has that anglers are buying substitutes to lead weights; and what action he has taken and proposes to take to encourage the use of substitutes;

(5) if he has any evidence of any increase in the swan population anywhere in the United Kingdom;

(6) what steps, other than the substituting of lead weights for fishing, he is taking to (a) protect and (b) increase the swan population;

(7) what steps are being taken to remove lead shot from rivers and river banks.

The Nature Conservancy Council held a meeting to review the position on lead poisoning of swans on 24 January. The mute swan population does not appear to be declining in overall numbers. A census conducted by the Wildfowl Trust in 1983 estimated the total number of mute swans in Britain to be about 19,000. This figure represents a 7 per cent. increase over a similar census in 1978.However, there are marked regional variations in the figures. The following 14 counties — pre-1974 geographical boundaries — have shown a decrease of more than 10 per cent. over the period: Dorset, Glamorgan, Gloucester, Oxford, Huntingdon, Nottingham, Caernarvon, Dunbarton, Selkirk, Peebles, Midlothian, Argyll, Sutherland and the Outer Hebrides. On the other hand, significant increases have taken place in the southern and eastern counties of England, and in parts of northern England and Scotland.Research indicates, however, that despite the overall increase in the population, in excess of 3,000 mute swans continue to die each year from lead poisoning by anglers' lead shot.The meeting also examined the position regarding non-toxic alternatives to lead shot. Significant progress has been made in developing substitutes. At least two products have been available since the beginning of the 1984 fishing season and a number of others are in various stages of development. Anglers have been testing the alternatives, as a result of which modifications have already been made. Further trials of new and improved products are taking place. The manufacturers and representatives of the national angling bodies have agreed to join together in a working group under the chairmanship of the Nature Conservancy Council to consider what can be done to further refine and encourage the use of non-toxic alternatives.In the meantime, spill-proof dispensers, in which lead-shot is now widely sold, have been developed to reduce the spillage of shot on river banks. Other equipment has also been developed for use by anglers to retrieve discarded line and shot from river banks.The Nature Conservancy Council is now considering the detailed evidence presented at its review meeting, and will report any recommendations to Ministers in due course.